Friday, March 22, 2013

An Extraordinary Job...

I am an ordinary mom. Just like you.

My heart has been breaking lately with all these blogs and posts where moms older and younger are judging one another, comparing themselves to each other, finding faults and imperfections, rather than seeing the beauty of what each other are doing...raising children. Often I get comments about being an amazing mom based on my facebook status updates or blog posts....but to be honest, I'm not. I'm an ordinary mom. Just like you.

Most of my days are spent making sure I get all of my kids fed, dressed, napped, and to Max's appointments....and hoping that I maybe able to squeeze a shower in for myself :). There are some days where I feel like a superwoman because Daniel walks through the door after work and the house is picked up, kids are playing peacefully, dinner is on the stove, I am dressed in real clothes besides yoga pants, and I'm like oh yeah...I totally just rocked this day. Then, there are the "other" days...you know what I'm talking about moms. The days when Daniel walks through the door after work and it looks like a toy explosion happened in my living room, and oh-yeah, make sure you bypass that goop that hasn't been cleaned up yet...oops, Zoe is on the floor in a fit of giggles trying to pull Max's hair out while he is crying for her to stop, Kason is jumping on the couch with a catapult expression written on his face saying "Hey mom, watch this trick!", it's an either you pick up dinner honey or we are having sandwiches sort of night because putting together ingredients to create anything edible is so far off my radar at the moment, and to be truthfully honest I was ready to push the reset or easy button by 9:00 that morning.........this my friends, is motherhood. It is a hard, exhausting, messy, but still a glorious job that everyone of us moms do 24/7 because whether we are working or staying at home, we are always on call ready to take care of our children.

Just because some of us moms tend to get a little geeked up over holiday activities, learning activities, or throwing parties with our kids doesn't make us extraordinary moms. Not one mom is more extraordinary than the other...we are all extraordinary together. We are all unique in our own way, revealing a special piece of ourselves to our children. Some of us are musical teaching our children the joy of singing, some of us are theatrical and know how to throw one mean tea party with our daughters, some of us are engineer minded and can create whole villages or battles out of legos with our sons, while others of us can cultivate an artistic atmosphere where our kids are creating crayon or watercolor masterpieces.

When we get overwhelmed, exhausted, or quite frankly just in a bad mood and we see what other moms are doing with their children, please take time to stop and tell yourself that you are doing a great job. To be honest, when I'm tempted to compare myself to other moms or my kids to their friends, I have to consciously put the breaks on immediately. I have to tell myself that I am doing the best I can right now and that by God's grace and lots of prayers, my children will not just survive, but thrive despite my mistakes. Each one of us has what Daniel calls "Mommy Magic"....the ability to nurture, love, and care for our children better than anyone. God created us moms in an intricate and beautiful way. Rather than comparing or judging, let's take time to celebrate the job we have been blessed with. Even on days when we have to put ourselves in time out to cool off before we approach our kids behavior, let's remember that even though we all may mother in a different way doesn't mean that any of us are doing it wrong. Us moms are in this together and thankfully God's love can surpass anything that I may think I am not doing well with my children. Because truthfully, that is what kids need the most....not parties or elaborate activities, but love...love from their moms and dads, but mostly from our Creator.

So here I am...just another ordinary mom....doing an extraordinary job thanks to the lessons I have learned from my mom, mother-in-law, grandmothers, aunts, and other women who have surrounded me with their love. I only hope that someday I will see the greatness you are doing in your children's life and pat you on the back saying, "Job well done my friend" because I am proud of you for being the mom that you are.

3 comments:

  1. Lately, my anthem is "Worn" by Tenth Avenue North...as a mom, I hate to admit that, but thank God that with Him, I can. You are right! We are all outstanding moms. I read your post because you uplift me and remind me that somedays are just "goop" days! Thanks for being such a great example to all us moms and being such a great mom to your angels!

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